Mom Wins 24-Hour National Championships, Swaps Race Medals With 4-Year-Old Son – runnersworld.com

Kristy Denton’s son, Blaize, was sad that his mom had to go. The ultrarunner sometimes has to travel for her races, but this past weekend was especially tough: The 4-year-old had a race of his own, the Brain on Fire kid’s half-mile in their hometown of Newburgh, Indiana.

Denton, 33, who works as an executive director in a nursing home, wanted to be there. She had close ties to the race—her friend, who survived autoimmune encephalitis, a rare cause of brain inflammation, had set up the event.

However, Denton had already signed up for a race. And not just any race: It was the , which happened to be hosting the U.S. National 24-Hour Running Championships this year.

While Blaize would be running back home in southern Indiana, Denton would be in Cleveland’s Edgewater Park, clocking off loops along Lake Erie. An hour ahead in the eastern timezone, the mother and son chatted on the phone right before Denton started her long day running, and Blaize, though upset, had some words of encouragement.

“Before races we always chat on the phone if he can’t come,” Denton told Runner’s World. “He always wishes me luck, but this time, since we were both running, he said, ‘Let’s both run like cheetahs.’”

Mom took that to heart because she knew Blaize would follow through on that statement. The two have been running together since Blaize was an infant, when Denton would push him in a stroller. These days, Blaize joins mom for striders and track workouts. For strider days near their home, Blaize does every one with his mom.

“He doesn’t like to lose to me,” she said. “He starts a couple mailboxes ahead of me for striders, and he looks back, and when I give him the thumbs up, he takes off. He usually does beat me, and it’s pretty fun.”

Blaize finished his race, though the race was not timed. He got his finisher’s medal—and then it was mom’s turn.

Denton’s race was a battle among not only the competitors, but also the heat, as temperatures soared into the 90s for the day. Despite some stomach issues from it, Denton kept her pace, using encouragement from spectators and racers, including kind words from ultrarunner Harvey Lewis, to finish as many .8822-mile loops as she could.

At the end of the day, she completed 105 miles and had won the women’s title.

“It was surreal,” she said. “I’m so excited. I really hoping to have a great race against some awesome runners, and it did not disappoint. I was taken aback by everyone’s abilities, and I can’t believe that this happened.”

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Denton didn’t talk with Blaize until she got home. The two swapped race stories, and Blaize, though not fully comprehending what his mom did in her 105-mile effort, was still excited to share the moment with his mom.

But the two didn’t just share stories.

“When I got home, Blaize was so excited to show me his race shirt and medal,” Denton said. “Then I showed him my medal and ended up trading medals. He’s still talking about the races. He was telling people at school yesterday when he brought the medal that he also ran 100 miles. I don’t think he knew what 100 miles is, but he was excited.”

Though both are thrilled with their performances and the medals, the trade may not be for keeps. According to Denton, Blaize won a pretty sweet medal.

“I don’t think the switch is forever,” Denton said. “His has a brain with flames coming out of it. It’s pretty special to him, so I don’t know if I’ll get to keep it.”

Gear & News Editor Drew covers a variety of subjects for Runner’s World and Bicycling, and he specializes in writing and editing human interest pieces while also covering health, wellness, gear, and fitness for the brand.